THE KING’S BUSINESS
96
I beg an to realize som ething w as u p w hen I fo u n d it m ade m e nerv o u s to h e a r th e boys sw ear o u t th e re o n th e v e ran d a ; th e n e x t th in g I k new it ju st h u rt m e. I said: ’Say, see here, w h a t is th e m a tte r w ith y o u ? Y ou have b een sw earing y o u r self all y o u r life.* B ut I could n o t stand it. 1 had to tell th em to stop. N ext 1 b e gan to w eigh th e th ings I h ad alw ays b e lieved w ith th ese new things. I found th ey w ould n o t balan ce. T h en I fell to w on d erin g how a m an w ould p ra y if he should w a n t to, a n d th ere , 1 did n o t care if I did it rig h t o r no t, b u t 1 w e n t a t it th e b est I could a n d m ade u p m y m ind th a t I’d stick to it till H e h e a rd m e. But oh, it’s all rig h t n ow ; it’s all rig h t now . T his w eek I ask ed H im to ta k e c are of this p o o r old body, too, fo r it need ed sp e cial fixing up . I th o u g h t H e could su re ten d to it w ith o u t a n y m edicine, if H e could ta k e c are of th a t b lack soul of m ine. 1 w aited th re e days a n d th e n 1 alm ost w en t b a ck on H im . My! 1 am glad 1 didn’t, fo r H e did w h a t I ask ed H im b e t te r th a n th e d o c to r could have do n e.” “ O h ,” w ith a n e a g e r look, “ if H e should let m e get o u t in to th e w orld a g ain w ouldn’t I be a good ad v ertisem en t fo r H im ! I could n ev er stop tellin g w h a t H e h as done! T h a n k you, I’m n o t needing m uch, ju st m y p a p e r a n d a few stam ps. O h, w ould you m ind m ailing th a t letter? I h a d to w rite a n d tell m y sister all a b o u t it.” “ But as I w as saying, I d o n ’t need m uch a n d I am n o t going to n eed a n y m o re to b ac co !” w ith a sm ile of victory. “H ave y o u given H im th a t, too, Mr. K. ?” “W hy, if H e w a n ts m y tobacco, H e sure can have it, a n d th e re is one m o re th in g I have b een stu dying a b o u t. I hav en ’t m uch to give H im , no m oney, a n d m y life’s m ost spent, b u t”— a n d h e re he paused an d sw allow ed h a rd— “ b u t I keep stu d y in g a n d stu dying ov er it. I” w onder if I could n o t give H im th a t o n e-fo u rth g ra in of m o rp h in e th a t th ey allow m e each n ig h t to let m e sleep. T h a t w ould n o t be m uch to give H im , now w ould it? ” N ot m uch? It w as his all!
sam e sto ry an d as I talk e d to th em of Jesus C h rist w e all th re e k n e lt in p ra y e r an d th ey su rre n d e re d th e ir lives to God. A y o u n g w om an w ho h a d from girl hood b een a p rofessing th o u g h n o t a p o s sessing C h ristian w as b ro u g h t to realize h e r n eed of C hrist. She cam e to H im as S aviour a n d v e ry sim ply claim ed H is p a r don fo r H im . T h e w o rk e r tu rn e d to F irst C o rin th ian s 6:19 -2 0 a n d th e realizatio n of C h rist as M aster of life grip p ed h e r. H e r re p ea te d exclam ation is, “ I didn’t suppose b ein g a C h ristia n could ev er b e so w o n d erfu l.” She is studying th e Bible an d giving th e H oly S p irit rig h t of w ay in h e r life. H e r p ra y e r life is w on d erfu l an d a s a n a tu ra l seq u en ce she is becom ing a soul w inner. A re q u est h av in g com e to th e S u p e rin ten d e n t of Bible W om en w hich seem ed p ecu liarly u rg e n t, o n e of th e w o rk e rs w as detailed fo r th e seem ingly hopeless case. T h e old m an w as dying of can cer, defi a n tly resistin g a n y a p p ro a c h to th e topic in w hich h e should have b een vitally in terested . A t th e first visit th e p o o r m an d eclared he in ten d ed to go- w h e re his fa th e r h a d gone a n d n ow h ere else. H e seem ed thankless, h e artle ss; b u t th e little w om an w as so su re of his n eed a n d th e S aviour’s y e arn in g fo r him th a t she con tin u e d h e r m inistry, to u ch in g his h e a rt finally b y a b eautifully a rra n g e d b ask et of fru it. F irst h e en d u red h e r visit, nex t ask ed fo r it, a n d finally confessing he w as n o t w o rth it, p lead fo r h e r re tu rn w hen he confessed his aw ful n eed a n d a t last trem blingly, eagerly, th in k in g it too w on d erfu l to be tru e, h e a ccep ted Jesus C h rist as L ord a n d M aster. T h e follow ing w eek she fo u n d him changed. A n u nm istak ab le p e ac e h ad stolen in to his tired, p ain -m ark e d face, a n d he said: “ O h no, I w ould n o t say th a t I am lonesom e a n y m o re in th is little room , fo r I have som eone to talk to all th e tim e. I am alm ost a fra id I talk to H im to o m uch. You see it w as th is w ay :
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs